


Do You Hear That?

by d3stin0



Series: Stability [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, this is purely fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:06:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23699737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/d3stin0/pseuds/d3stin0
Summary: "Did... Did you just say I love you?"
Relationships: Sigma | Siebren de Kuiper/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Stability [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1706788
Kudos: 3





	Do You Hear That?

**Author's Note:**

> This is a follow up fic to "Necessary Sacrifice". Author is FTM Transgender and all experiences are based on his own. No further content warnings apply.

Perhaps it wasn't in Xev's best interest to include Reaper in on the drill training after all. He thought it would be a good kick in the ass for some of his more stubborn subordinates, but in all reality, it made them even more stubborn. It was like training a bunch of toddlers sometimes. They had just completed their 4 mile run- a punishment of sorts for not completing the first 3 in adequate time. It earned a number of verbal complaints from the 12 man training group which quickly irritated the masked man.

The plan had been to build endurance and then focus on fundamentals on the battlefield, but with how things were going, they’d be lucky if they made it through any other drill. And the fact that these men were relatively fresh meant that Xev would have to take extra time to get them into line before they ever stepped foot on a dropship for a mission. It was imperative to the cohesion of any operation and it gave everyone peace of mind knowing that those on the front lines could follow orders as they are given.

"Alright, alright settle down. I know you're all itching to get at it but we still have some things to cover," Xev said as the group came to a halt at the proverbial finish line. A number of them began to bicker amongst themselves, too proud to swallow their pride when they were told to run a fourth time. It was honestly a miracle that they'd made through 4 miles without a single complaint, but now all of a sudden it was an issue.

If Xev could see Reaper's eyes he's sure he would have seen them roll as far back into his head as humanly possible. He barked at them to keep their mouths shut when a superior was speaking to them, which not all surprisingly, managed to shut them up for a brief moment.

"Next we'll run some close quarters combat. While our operations typically don't call for such a thing, it's important to know in case you become disarmed," Xev continued with his hands behind his back. "There's an odd number of you so one of you will be pairing up with me. I shouldn't have to remind you that these are in fact drills which means lethal force is not authorized."

He held up a hand at the oncoming groans, keeping the mens' attention long enough to continue. "However, if you're fighting me, you're going to have to come at me with everything you have. I guarantee you won't get a scratch on me if you don't."

That seemed to pique some of their interests. One of them, Roman Xev thinks, stepped up with a cocky smirk. “I’ll take ya on. No way a tiny thing like you is beating me in a knife fight.”

_ You seem pretty sure of yourself, don’t you?  _ Reaper sighed aggressively and turned his head in Xev’s direction. “It’s your call. If this disobedient little shit wants to get beaten, I say let him. We’ll deal with the clean up later.”

Xev simply shrugged off his fatigue jacket and tossed it onto a nearby bench then took his knife from his thigh holster. It was true he was smaller than most of the other guys, but size didn’t matter if you knew how to fight. Rolling his shoulders, Xev waved Reaper off- a clear indication that he was more than capable of handling this himself. “Thank you, Reaper. This won’t take long.”

Leaving a trail of smoke as he left, Reaper started the walk up to the observation deck. “The rest of you, pay attention. You might learn a thing or two.”

\--

“It would seem we have trouble within the ranks,” Moira said nonchalantly as Reaper slammed the door shut behind him, clearly irritated. Her mismatched eyes watched as the group formed a circle around the pair who looked to be readying to fight. “8421 seems pretty sure of himself.”

Grunting in affirmation, Reaper took a seat just by the window, the caverns of his mask trained on the center of the ring as well. “Yes, he does. He needs to learn to keep his mouth shut like the rest of them. Maybe this will teach him a lesson.”

Siebren, who had been preoccupied with some notes he’d brought along from the lab, raised a brow at the two of them. He hadn’t really been paying much attention and was only there at Moira’s request. Why she was here remained a mystery, but he didn’t mind getting out of the lab every once in a while despite what others may think. Unfurling his crossed legs and stepping onto solid ground once more, he peered out of the large glass window and studied the scene before him. “Curious. Is it normal for the commander to be fighting his subordinates?”

“When they’re as cocky as this guy is, yes. It is,” Reaper responded with a huff. “Xev will have this handled in a matter of minutes. He’ll have him twisted up like a pretzel and begging for mercy by the time this is all over.”

“This should be interesting then. What are their weapons of choice?” Moira chimed in, head tilted towards Reaper as she rested her chin in her hand. 

“Knives. It’s a close quarters combat scenario.” That caught Siebren’s attention, though not for ideal reasons. He had no reason to really worry about Xev- he was capable of handling himself, Siebren knew that. You didn’t get this far in this line of work without being capable, but still, he worried. 

It was no longer a secret amongst his colleagues that he and Xev were together. It was after their mission to New York where Xev threw himself in front of a wave of bullets to protect Sigma from harm- a moment that still to this day gave him nightmares. Ever since then Xev had been visiting Siebren in the lab nearly every day- for tea, lunch, and sometimes lectures provided by him and Moira. It was a debate on the council whether or not to allow such a thing, but with some assurance from Moira and testimony from Xev, things were cleared.

“Seems a bit barbaric doesn’t it?” Siebren asked Reaper, earning an annoyed sigh from the leather clad man. “They need to be able to fight with or without a gun. Besides, it was the brat’s idea.”

Moira nodded in acknowledgement, a taught smirk on her face as she leaned forward now. “So Xev’s humoring him, I see. Interesting.”

Frowning and brow knit with worry, Siebren looked on. “I… Suppose you’re right.”

“Your little boyfriend will be fine. Don’t underestimate him, Doctor.”

\--

“Not too late to back out,  _ boss _ ,” Roman teased, tossing his knife back and forth between his hands as Xev looked on, clearly unamused. “I won’t say anything if you back out now. I’d hate to make a little man like you my bitch.”

“Michaelis, you’ll be our mediator. Count us down and watch for any tap outs or blood loss,”Xev said, ignoring his counterpart’s obvious baiting and looking Michaelis in the eye. “If anything happens, Moira is just upstairs. Get her immediately should the need arise.”

With all the formalities squared away, Xev and Roman squared against one another. The group looked on with mixed expressions but clearly interested in what was about to happen. Michaelis stood just to the side, eyeing the two of them nervously. “Alright. 3, 2, 1, GO!”

In an instant, Xev stepped to the side, feinting a forward attack from Roman and swiping underhandedly to the back of his thighs. He missed, but it was enough to make the other man jump forward out of the way. “Too slow. No wonder your times on the mile run are pitiful,” he said tauntingly. “Try again.”

Roman turned on his heel, swinging wildly at Xev and coming up with nothing to show for it. Stepping to the side again, Xev moved forward and took Roman’s knife wielding arm- pulling him hard over his shoulder and slamming him into the ground with a painful groan. “If this is your intent to kill, I doubt you’d be able to kill an old man sitting down.”

“You little shit!” Roman exclaimed, pushing himself off the ground and lunging once more to grab at Xev. This time, Xev let him- or at least pretended to. One arm locked around his shoulders from behind, but with a pivot of his hips, he was able to swing his legs up and around Roman’s arm- bringing the back of his knees onto the back of the man’s neck and bringing him down to the ground. 

With his arm trapped in an arm bar, it made it nearly impossible for Roman to do much but struggle. This was a tactic that Xev never really got to use on an actual battlefield, but it worked for the circumstances because it had the potential to incapacitate an enemy and disarm them. Pulling as hard as his arms would allow, Xev wrenched on the limb in the hopes of hyper-extending it. He was fairly confident that this alone would force the younger man to tap out, but Roman provided to be as unpredictable as he was ignorant.

Pushing himself up with all his strength, Roman pulled Xev up with his arm still trapped and brought his full weight and force back down to the concrete of the training room. The men around them cringed as the impact made a sickening thud, but Xev still didn’t let go. Despite the pain now radiating from his back and head, this was exactly what he wanted Roman to do. The longer he struggled, the less likely he was to be able to counter him when he stopped playing possum. 

“Let go of me! Fight me like a real man already!” Roman yelled as he prepared to lift him up once again. The wobble in his legs was indication enough for Xev to let go of the man’s arm and drop his upper body to slash at the other man’s ankles successfully. Blood spattered onto the cold concrete and Roman cried out in pain, leaving Xev wide open to flip him on his head and end the fight.

Sitting up right, sweat beading off his forehead, Xev looked over to Michaelis. “Help him up, then get to practicing. An hour and a half and then you can dismiss yourselves for the evening.” Then he turned his attention to the rest of the group, eyes narrowed and face set in deadpan. “Let this be a warning to the rest of you: This isn’t a game. You’re here to work and the consequences of getting sloppy will cost you. You’ll regret disappointing me, I can promise you that.”

\--

To say Siebren was impressed would be an understatement- and by the look of it, so were Moira and Reaper. The fluidity in Xev’s movements were unlike anything they had really seen, and the adaptability he possessed was… well, in Siebren’s opinion, breathtaking. “Fascinating.”   
  
“I told you you had nothing to worry about when it comes to him. I would know, I taught him just about everything he knows,” Reaper responded as he pushed himself up and out of his seat, heading for the door. “I’ll bring the ingrate to the med bay. He’ll be lucky if I don’t let him bleed out like the pathetic shit he is.”

“Calm yourself Gabriel. He’s just an extra body on the field,” Moira countered, though it was evident she didn’t really care whether the man lived or died. After all, it wasn’t uncommon- especially for lowly foot soldiers. “If nothing else, he can serve as a good example.”

If Reaper heard anything she had to say, he showed no signs of it as he slammed the door on his way out- leaving Moira and Siebren alone once more. Siebren was beside himself, eyes still glued on to the walking form of his partner. He really had been worrying for nothing- or so it seemed. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the slight stagger in Xev’s stride, almost as if he waited till he was out of sight of the others to show any signs of weakness.

Moira must have noticed too, as she quickly pushed herself up from her seat and took long strides to the door. “We should go back to the lab now. Perhaps we can convince your stubborn partner to accompany us so I can have a look at him.”

Shaking his head as if to bring himself back to the present, Siebren followed Moira’s lead. “I see. Yes, let’s see to him.”

\--

“ _The state of you_ ,” Moira exclaimed as Xev peeled back his shirt to reveal a swath of dark bruises forming on his back. “I’m surprised you don’t have a concussion with how hard that fall was.”

Xev chuckled nervously, wincing in pain as Moira moved to examine the back of his neck further. “I guess having a thick skull like mine comes in handy then, eh?” Moira simply rolled her eyes. “There’s a difference between confidence and stupidity, Commander Kovock. Luckily for you I don’t detect any fractures in any bones. You should consider yourself lucky.”

Despite Xev's deflection of the issue all together, it was clear that he was in immense pain. Siebren could tell; he wasn’t stupid after all. He had tried to admonish Xev for being too careless on the way to the lab but he got the same response Moira was getting now. It irritated him to no end how little regard Xev had for his own well being; something he had shared with the younger man many times.   
  
“He learned his lesson, I think,” Xev said finally as Moira applied a thick salve to his back. “Or at least I hope he did. You should have heard how he spoke to me. If I had half a mind, I would have slashed his throat.”

“What did he say exactly? I’d love to know.” Siebren asked with clear irritation in his tone. Xev shook his head. “No, you wouldn’t. But rest assured I’ll deal with him. Maybe I’ll get Sombra in on it- just so he knows what exactly he’s walked into.”

“I’m sure he got the message. Now I need for you to rest. The damage to your back will heal within a day or so, but the concern for your head is another matter.” Moira interrupted, clearly not keen on being in the middle of a lover’s quarrel, if you could call it that. “If you develop a migraine, go to the medical bay immediately.”

“Thank you, Doctor O’Deorain. I appreciate your help.” Xev said reassuringly, knowing all too well not to argue with Moira on anything related to physical wellbeing. She may not be a surgeon, but there was no doubt in his mind that she knew the body well enough to give a medical diagnosis from time to time. That, and she loved being right.

Moira now turned her attention to Siebren, who sat with his arms crossed and an unimpressed look on his face. “I trust you to keep him in line, Doctor De Kuiper. I’m going to finish some leftover work. Do me a favor and don’t need me for the remainder of the evening.”

Siebren nodded and watched as the red headed woman walked away from the examination table. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, Doctor O’Deorain.”

With the mechanical click of the double doors, Siebren and Xev were left alone in the section of the lab dedicated to Siebren’s work. Xev leaned back carefully and rested his back, sighing woefully. Clearing his throat, Siebren moved to speak. “Despite your injuries, I have to say, I was fascinated with your abilities.”

“Ah, you were? I suppose you haven’t really seen what I can do, have you?” Xev questioned, lulling his head to the side to smile at his partner. “I’m not some pushover.”

“There was never a doubt in my mind, but you did have me worried for a moment.” In truth, Siebren was more worried about what  _ he _ would have done had Xev been seriously injured by his subordinate. It didn’t take much sometimes to trigger Sigma and he had learned the hard way that it came with deadly consequences. It would behoove him and the rest of the organization to contract more soldiers, but in the moment, he probably wouldn’t have cared.

“I can imagine. I shouldn’t have toyed with him like I did if I’m being honest.” Xev responded, resting his hands on his stomach now comfortably. “I didn’t know you were watching though. Maybe I would have shown off a little more if I had.”

Siebren, caught off guard by the underhanded flirting, flushed immediately. He still wasn’t quite used to the playful banter and flirting, but over the course of the last few months he’d learned to find it endearing. “I-I… I don’t think I would be opposed to that.”

Smiling warmly, Xev continued. “If it helps, I’m always amazed at your knowledge of astrophysics. I might not understand a lot of it, but you’re so passionate about it. I admire that.”

“I find it hard to believe that you find my rambling about things you don’t understand admirable, my dear.” Siebren deflected, now unable to keep eye contact with Xev out of sheer embarrassment. 

"Siebren, honey I could listen to you prattle on about nonsense for hours and I'd still love you just the same.” Xev responded quickly, unaware of what he had just said until his eyes went a little wide. Siebren realized it all too quickly. "Did… did you just say that you love me?"

They had only been “officially” together for a few months now and Xev had expressed a desire to take things as slow as they needed to. It wasn’t anything personal against their situation, but he didn’t want to be disingenuous in his feelings for Siebren. It was a humbling sentiment that they both seemed to share, which is why the phrase “I love you” hadn’t come up yet.

Until now.

“I… guess I did.” Xev said shyly, still avoiding Siebren’s gaze and flushing a brilliant shade of pink. Overcome with some kind of emotion, Siebren reached for the younger man’s face. He cupped it gently, calloused fingers encouraging Xev to turn his attention to him. “Do… Do you mean it? Do you really mean it?”

For a moment, Xev was quiet; lost in the soft, loving expression on Siebren’s face. He’d seen the many different faces of Siebren and Sigma, but that look was something new; something welcomed, even. He never asked, but he assumed it had been a long time since Siebren had had anything intimate with anyone, let alone having been loved. People were quick to write him off as insane or delusional, but they didn’t know Siebren like Xev did. “Yes, Siebren. I do mean it. I love you.”

There was no hesitation in Siebren’s next move; surging forward to claim the younger man’s lips in an admittedly awkward kiss. But neither of them seemed to mind. Xev reciprocated the kiss enthusiastically, cupping the back of Siebren’s head and dragging his short nails softly against his scalp. 

When they pulled away, the look of adoration on the older man’s face was almost enough to bring a tear to Xev’s eye. Instead he smiled and quickly placed another chaste kiss to the man’s lips. Siebren, looked shocked, but happily so. “I… I hope that was okay. I should have asked first.”

“You’re adorable. You don’t have to ask to kiss me, ya fool.” Xev responded with a laugh, retracting his hand to rest it on one of Siebren’s. “In fact, I like surprises. And kisses. So do with that what you will.”

Now it was Siebren’s turn to laugh. “Oh I’ve got a few ideas of what to do with that.”

“Good, because I think I’m going to need a lot of them while I’m resting.”

“That can be happily arranged, my love.”

**Author's Note:**

> I told myself I wasn't going to make this a series or a multi-chapter thing but I have way too much love for this floaty lad. That and I have nothing else better to do in quarantine now that I'm basically jobless. Anyway, I don't know that there will be a part 3 just yet or whatever. All I do know is that I'm having fun writing this stuff and if anyone doesn't like it, they can bite m- go find something else to read.


End file.
